By Tim Binnall
Scientists aboard a research vessel in the Atlantic Ocean stumbled upon mysterious blue blob-like organisms that they cannot identify. The colorful creatures were reportedly spotted late last month by a remote operated vehicle (ROV) that had been deployed off the coast of St. Croix by experts aboard NOAA's Okeanos Explorer ship. As the ROV cruised over an area of the ocean floor at a depth of approximately 1,335 feet, it passed over the weird azure oddity which somewhat resembles the ghostly characters that pursued iconic video game character Pac-Man. Another of the puzzling creatures was later documented by the remote underwater explorer and, in this instance, it appeared to be more flattened.
As they approached the first blue blob, a researcher aboard the vessel observed that "we've now seen a number of these and I think the mystery will remain until a sample is collected" or the images collected by the ROV can be analyzed a coral expert. Another scientist looking at the oddity subsequently mused that "at this point, we still don't know" what the creature could be. To that end, a third researcher taking part in the livestream broadcast marveled that "that is one of the most exciting things about the Okeanos Explorer expeditions. There is always at least that one thing that stumps you."
Clearly taken with the curious blue creature, the researchers postulate that it could be a soft coral, a tunicate, or a sponge with one of the scientists confidently declaring that "I can tell you it's not a rock, that about as far as we can go." Beyond the debate over the nature of the organisms, the group also has some fun offering names for the weird find before seemingly settling on the simple, but effective moniker "blue goo." As of now, no marine biologist has come forward to identify the organism, suggesting that the NOAA scientists may attempt to obtain a sample of the creature in order to solve the mystery.